Space-saver spare tyres are a waste of space, says Mondeo owner

A disgruntled Mondeo driver has been left feeling well and truly deflated after Ford’s new design has left him at the mercy of space-saver spare tyres.

Jeffrey Snowden, from Bardsey, Leeds, fired off a letter about why he feels the “get-you-home” tyres are a waste of space which was published in the ingear motoring section of the Sunday Times newspaper.

He wrote: “I have burst a few low-profile tyres on our increasingly potholed roads in recent years and received very short shrift from my local (Leeds) council, so I am concerned by the trend towards “get-you-home” and “space-saving” spare wheels. Whoever dreamt up the ridiculous so-called space-saving idea must have saved millions for the car industry, which has only too happily passed on the problems to the motorist.

“I am a businessman and I don’t need a “get-you-home, spare-wheel-and tyre” solution, I need a “continue-on-your-business-trip” solution.

“Ever tried driving over Shap Fell on a wobbly and thin low-speed wheelbarrow tyre? Or continuing a trip round Ireland on the same lamentable, speed-restricted excuse for a spare?

“My solution on my last Mondeo was to carry, at extra cost, an almost full-sized steel spare wheel and tyre in the boot in order to be able to at least proceed halfway normally with reasonable roadholding and speeds. But on my latest Mondeo, Ford has radically reduced the depth of the well in the boot, so this is no longer an option.